Empathy is a fundamental part of our human experience but the technology we build and design is at odds with that. So what is empathy, where does it come from and what can we learn from it?

Let’s talk about what it means to be an empathetic being, the effect technology is having on our ability empathise with each other and what we can do to understand each other better, communicate and design more ethical ‘things’ that help people be people.

Print off a short story, put it in an envelope marked 'READ ME' and leave it somewhere random to be found. The idea behind #foundfiction is simple but powerful, and it's inspired readers and writers across the world since launching in 2014. Here, founder Steve Clarkson talks about the origins of the project, how it quickly gained a dedicated following, and what the future holds.

Born storyteller, proud Northerner and stop motion animator; Designasaur started drawing from the minute that she learned to hold a pencil and never quite found the desire to put it down. Today, she makes films that would appeal to her five year old self and together, they make a great team.

In this presentation, Designasaur (aka Lisa Kenney) talks about getting your hopes up, getting knocked back and carrying on regardless.

Listen to an engaging and inspirational journey from Duncan Craig, a psychotherapist and the Chief Executive of Survivors Manchester.

Survivors Manchester is a Greater Manchester based charity offering therapeutic and advocacy support to boys and men affected by sexual abuse, rape, and sexual exploitation. Duncan started the charity in 2009, when he identified a gap in support provision for boys and men, and continues to develop new services today, most recently across the male prison estate.

As a qualified accredited trauma-informed psychotherapist, Duncan’s personal and professional experience of sexual violation has presented him with the opportunity to be involved in a number of national inquiries, projects and forums, including The Stern Review; the National Rape Working Group; and the Office of the Children’s Commissioner on the Child Sexual Exploitation in Groups and Gangs.

Dr. Scott Midson is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at The Lincoln Theological Institute. He is the lead researcher on ‘Living with and Loving Machines’. This project brings together questions about how we understand humans and technologies in their relationships, and seeks to encourage an alternative way of reflecting on these using the theological notion of ‘love’.

In this talk he explores how theological and religious ideas shape how we ineract, and even love, robots.

For some of us, meeting new people sucks. Small talk. Struggling for shared interests. Forgetting names. But when we share our stories, we can connect on an emotional level. And that's where the fun begins. Chris Tomlin talks about telling stories, making friends and growing beards.

Why swap a career in bookselling for a life of moloko, ultraviolence and a bit of the old in-out in-out? Writer and performer Fat Roland long felt a connection to the works of Anthony Burgess and A Clockwork Orange. This is the story of how a former bookseller found a horrorshow (good) rabbit (job) at the International Anthony Burgess Foundation, the famous author’s estate, archive and event space based in a converted Victorian Manchester mill.

After experiencing meeting, interviewing, collaborating, and working with some inspiring individuals in Japan, Hamid Shahi decided to reach out to his friends to initiate a global collaborative community with other amazing creative people who are interested in joining together and contributing to projects in pursuit of a higher purpose.

At Unify Design Art, we believe everyone is creative and we think of designers and artists as people who exhibit the attitude, approach and abilities of forward thinking. We believe that creators around the globe can support and inspire each other to make positive change in their local communities.

For us it’s not a question of thinking or doing, but what to think about and how to do it through unified systems and strategies.

Exploring design ideas and how tacit knowledge influences how we produce work as designers and makers. For Jonathon Briggs, it’s in the fabric of your thought process, having a poor memory helps too! It allows you to see something new in everyday objects and re-interpret their meaning.

How do you look at the ordinary everyday and turn it into meaningful stuff, then navigating how you post-rationalise this into a commercial product? How does this work in a creative studio, does it liberate everyones thinking or become an insular creative process?